Firewater
The Golden Hour
Release Date: May 6, 2008
Genre(s): Indie, Rock, Alternative
Record label: Bloodshot
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Album Review: The Golden Hour by Firewater
Excellent, Based on 2 Critics
Based on rating 8/10
In photography, the golden hour is when the sunlight is at the perfect angle to capture beautiful images; in the medical world, it's the window of time where a life can still be saved after severe injuries. Both meanings could apply to The Golden Hour, Firewater's first album of original material in four years: it's a musical travelogue of the three years Tod A. spent in India, Turkey, Pakistan, and Indonesia (which he also chronicled in the blog Postcards from the Edge of the World) after his divorce and the reelection of President George W.
Opinion: Very Good
In 2005, after his marriage collapsed and Jetset Records shit the bed, Firewater braintrust Tod Ashley began a journey through “the places my country was bombing,” taking along his laptop. Along the way, he recorded songs with groups of local musicians, which often became chaotic improv sessions because of the language barriers involved. He became ill and had to forsake much of his ambitious itinerary, but he brought back tracks recorded in India, Pakistan, Turkey and Israel.